The Finals: Mirage Evee vs Starfire Charizard
by Kanmeros
Summary: It's a Pokefiction, but with a non--human cast, this displayes two of my fan-created characters: Mirage Evee, and Starfire the Charizard in a fighting contest remniscent of those Street Fighter games. Enjoy.


Name: Mirage   
Age: 16  
Height: 5' 5"  
Weight: 125 lbs.  
Gender: Female  
Class: Evee  
First Year Rookie  
~*~*~*~  
Name: Starfire  
Age: 23  
Height: 7' 2"  
Weight: 255 lbs.  
Gender: Female  
Class: Charizard  
Champion of the Legionnaire Sector  
  
  
THE FINALS: MIRAGE VS. STARFIRE   
  
The fighting season has been long, and it has been full of surprises. Returning fighters well known around the world returned, along with rookies who have fought all the way to the semi-finals, showing as much courage and devotion as veteran fighters. This year's tournament was held in the Legionary Islands, located south of the Western Bramu Continent. The Legionary Stadium was holding crowd capacity, for this was to be the match that could define a new winner, or hold the current champion for another year.  
  
Mirage blocked with her arms another kick sent by Starfire, although her timing was right, the young one's body was knocked out to the grassy field. She grunted as her battered body absorbed the roughness of the ground.   
  
Ow.  
  
"Are you alright, kid?"   
  
"I'm...alright, and I am not a kid." She communicated back to her coach trough her earpiece. The champion was a female Charizard, and her reputation surpassed well-known fighters and challenged other champions overseas. Her stature alone was enough to intimidate even the most confident fighters, while her power and technique was enough to take down even a male of her own species, regardless of experience.  
  
She has been champion for over three years now, gaining more challengers as her reputation flowed around the globe. No matter how strong her opponent was; she would come victorious at the end. Her victories never went over her head, however. Starfire would honor those who challenged her and never mocked them in any way during the match. She never underestimated her opponent regardless of gender, species...or size.  
  
That is until she saw who was her next opponent. A young evee, smaller for her own size, was the finalist this year. The charizard had trouble understanding how someone this small was able to come trough all the way. Her doubts diminished when she met the young one's gaze. The hunger and determination were there, something she has seen in very few opponents she faced. She could feel the small one's courage just by her gaze alone. It has been like that all the time since the match commenced, Starfire trying to defeat her opponent, while the evee kept dodging her attacks once and again, deflecting attacks with great effort.  
  
That is until she felt her body already giving up. Her body seemed to fail holding any more punishment done by the champion. Mirage tried with all her might to keep her head steady, while her vision kept seeing blinking stars. She held her head and tried to knock off her dazed state. Her ears twitched at the sound of mighty wings, and noticed a shadow covering her body. Mirage rolled away without turning her head, as Starfire sent a fireball from a great height.   
  
The smell of burnt grass filled the evee's nostrils as her eyes surveyed the charred area. There was nothing left but ashes, vegetation was all gone.  
  
That could've been me...  
  
Mirage shook her head and stood up, raising her guard against the champion once more. Her eyes were full of hope and ambition, the hunger for victory burned within her being. Starfire crossed her arms while hovering above, her tail twitched with the tip burning in a motion of fire ablaze. Both locked looks briefly, thinking what would be each other's move.  
  
"Keep yourself together, Mirage. Try to find a blind spot while she is on the air." Her coach mentioned. The earpiece Mirage and Starfire were wearing was made of an strong alloy which prevented from breaking apart, no matter how hard it got hit, or what type of element was covered with. It was placed inside the ear orifice of each fighter, and the ratio of function surpassed anything ever invented, even by the military.  
  
"Yeah...a blind spot. I would just sneak behind her, but her tail would burn me into a crisp, coach. Any other options?"  
  
"Don't get yourself down."  
  
"I'm not." She said just before jumping out of the charizard's flame. Another section of the field was burned to a crisp. Mirage escaped barely, part of her costume burned and her sleeve on her right arm gone. The only thing that remained was her bracelet, which held three different colored stones around it. This was a present from her grandmother, who was at one time, a champion in the Azure islands. Mirage received the bracelet when she signed up for the major pokemon-fighter leagues. The evee promised her grandmother that she would return as a champion before her rookie year ended.   
  
One look at the bracelet and Mirage felt a lot more determined. She looked back up at the charizard and raised her right arm, a finger pointing at the champion.  
  
"Hey! Do you know how much I paid for this uniform? You will have to buy me a new one after I snatch that championship belt from you!"  
  
Star fire's eyes narrowed, and swooped down towards the evee. Her arms expanded to show razor-sharp claws, while her snout formed a grimace that soon became a growl. Mirage stood her ground, her feet shifting while her arms were moved to a defensive pose. The charizard stopped in mid-air, however, and began hovering once more.  
  
"She's not buying it..?" The evee murmured. Verbal abuse was something allowed in the ring, but whenever the opponent accepted the words of not would prove just how experienced they are. Starfire had experience all right. She seemed to have anticipated Mirage's attempt to make her do something foolish. Mirage still held he ground, eyes never escaping the charizard's frame.   
  
The champion then commenced a move Mirage was not familiar with. She spun her body clockwise, while the tip of her tail shot fiery lances towards the rookie. Each fire lance was bigger than the last, coming down in a blaze of fury.   
  
"Swords Dance!" She roared, and the crowd roared along. Mirage covered her face as the fire lances landed everywhere around her body. She managed to deflect a couple of shots by using her small barrier defenses. But the power of the charizard was too much to handle, and Mirage found herself rolling on the ground, trying to put out the flames around her fighting suit.   
  
"Swords dance!" Pressed once more, letting an array of fire lances around the eeve once again. Mirage tried to avoid the attack, rolling away while parts of her fur kept being burnt, hoping her coach could come up with a plan.   
  
There was no response from the coach now, it seemed as if he too, was planning the best strategy for this situation. Mirage hoped around, avoiding the dancing inferno, as no other option seemed present. A huge explosion of fiery proportions sent Mirage stumbling to the ground, her aching body facing more pain and exhaustion.   
  
She felt the charizard's grip on her throat as she was being pulled up. Her hands tried to pull herself away from the charizard's grip, but lacked the strength to do so. She began losing consciousness, pain being the only thing preventing her from being completely gone.  
  
"Surrender and I shall punish you no more..." Starfire proposed. Mirage let both her arms down, hearing amongst the roar of the crowd a small jingle. The bracelet her grandmother gave her was still on her wrist.   
  
Give up. Yes. The pain will no longer be there. All will be all right if I surrender.  
  
"No."  
  
Huh?  
  
"You will not give up."  
  
Who...  
  
"Mirage, look at me."  
  
Mirage's eyes opened again, but instead of seeing the champion, she saw the figure of another female evee on the background. Her height was almost the same as hers. Her fur; shining golden collar and hair, with tanned fur covering the rest of her body. She was wearing a fighting uniform much like hers, but it had black sides, with white coloring on the middle of the suit. Neat and clean it was, and the evee herself looked heavenly. Her green eyes stared at Mirage, with fury and determination reflecting on those jade marbles. On her left wrist she wore the same exact bracelet, stones and all. Her features were of her own age, young spirited warrior with hints of pride and courage.  
  
Grandma?  
  
"Yes. It is I, young one. Do not give up to your opponent; you have still too much to give in this fight. Use your gift! That is why I have given it to you..."  
  
"Use your gift..."  
  
With those final words the evee disappeared, with the charizard female back into focus. The roar of the crowd cheering once again made itself present, while a pair of green eyes glared at her, waiting for a plea. Her throat received another squeeze; the champion seemed impatient now. Mirage's eyes closed again, and her mouth parted slowly.   
  
"Water..."  
  
Starfire tilted her head to the left. "What was that you said?"  
  
"Water...stone..."   
  
A low rumbling underneath that at first was lost among the crowd, but it became louder as it came closer. Starfire looked around, distracted by the sound of the tremor. The ground shook violently, cracking around the two fighters. Starfire almost lost her balance, and was thinking of unfolding her wings to escape when a gigantic geyser appeared underneath them both. Starfire was shot out of range by the force of water, while Mirage was surrounded by water. The water, which erupted from the earth, circled around her body, not letting her down or away from its grasp.  
  
The spectacle lasted for mere seconds, but to Starfire, a second lasted an eternity. She stood up while shaking excessive water from her wings. She found herself in front of a full-grown Vaporeon, whose powers were now intensified. The aquatic pokemon's body was nude, save for her breasts and crotch that were covered by small triangular plates of a purple shade.   
  
Although the challenger's body was changed, her eyes had the same glint of hunger for the championship belt. The charizard opened her mouth, and a yellow glow appeared from within, which intensified until a huge stream of fire was released from it. Mirage moved her arms in a circular motioned, then pushed them forward at the fiery attack.  
  
"Water beam!" she screamed, and a horizontal flow of water shot to counterattack the champion's fire.   
  
Both forces met in an explosion of fog and condensed water. The hissing sound lasted for seconds as both fighters held up the attack towards each other. The water beam that Mirage shot vanquished Starfire's flame eventually, and it knocked the charizard right to the wall of the stadium. Starfire's body crashed with an audible thud, while still taking punishment from the Vaporeon's attack.   
  
Starfire's body fell down to the ground once more once Mirage halted the assault. Her scales absorbed the cold water, and she felt chills around her body. She tried to get up, but failed to do so as her arms slipped on the muddy ground she lay upon. Her body fell down on the earthy mess.  
  
The crowd, once stunned after witnessing Mirage's transformation, roared. Starfire knew they were now rooting for the young one, not her. Her blood boiled now, but her body still couldn't allow itself to respond towards her commands.  
  
Mirage walked towards her, with a worried look on her face.  
  
I...I didn't mean to hurt her like this...  
  
Once she stood close enough, she kneeled and lend out a hand. "Are you alright?"  
  
Starfire raised her own hand to meet hers, and held a tight squeeze on it. Mirage's face turned from a frown to a grimace, her hand felt as if it were to be broken by the champion's grip.   
  
"You..." the charizard hissed, "you dare..."  
  
She stood up, raising Mirage along. Even in her evolution form, Mirage was still shorter than the formidable champ. Mirage's head was held at an angle, their eyes locked once more. The young Vaporeon looked at the pair of emeralds looking in rage at her. Fire sparked in the form of anger and hurt pride.   
  
With that, the charizard held Mirage's torso in a bear hug. A growl emitted from the champion while squeezing without mercy. Mirage felt the air heavy around her, pain pushing her in the brink of unconsioness once more.  
  
She arched her head backwards, screaming in sheer, agonizing pain. Her eyes were shut; her arms struggled to get herself free from the enraged charizard's grasp. One more squeeze and she could not find the voice to scream any further.   
  
"I gave you a chance...and you wasted it in despite of yourself. I am going to extract every ounce of liquefied life out of your body!""  
  
Mirage's eyes opened. Of course! She has the properties of water at her disposal!  
  
With nothing more than a thought (something that came very difficult for someone in her position), her body dissolved into a liquefied state, thus escaping the charizard's grasp. Starfire was found once again splashed by her weakness and growled, trying to remove the excess water from her body once more.  
  
The puddle that was Mirage moved at the champion's feet, and rose up in a wall of water. In mid-succession, Mirage transformed into her solidified form and sent Starfire flying with an uppercut under her jaw. The charizard fell backwards to the puddle of mud whence her body lay moments before.   
  
Mirage locked her arms on her side in midair.  
  
"Water bomb!"  
  
That being said, she formed a humongous sphere composed of water, and sent it down at the charizard. A giant explosion of water and mud resurfaced, covering the near row of expectators. Mirage landed on her feet near the champion, whose body was in the middle of the newly formed crater.   
  
She looked down at Starfire with solemn sadness. Her face was expressionless, eyes staring blankly upon the sky while her body shivered for the damage taken by the Vaporeon's last attack. Mirage's eyes peered upon the tail, once flaring with life, now a small light that resembled a flame from a candle's.   
  
"Ladies and gentleman, Starfire is defeated. All hail our newest champion, Mirage!"  
  
A loud cheer congratulated her, but Mirage could not hear it. Her attention was set on the fallen fighter.   
Mirage kneeled in front of her and held one of the charizard's hands, which was cold at the touch. She also felt the shiver, which intensified every moment that passed by.   
  
"So...cold..." Starfire said, her eyes now rolling upward slowly. Mirage stood up in a frantic way, staring at the pavilion that held her coach.   
  
"She needs medical assistance! Somebody please help her!"  
  
***   
  
Starfire awoke days later inside a hospital room. Her body was no longer covered in the leather suit that she wore at battle, rather, it was now covered in warm blankets and her tail was held at bedside, by means of a pedestal that was built specially for those of her kind.   
  
"You're awake."  
  
The charizard's eyes moved to detect the source of the familiar voice. She saw Mirage standing next to her, now in her evee form, dressed in a championship ceremonial uniform. Her eyes befell at the young one's waist, wearing the gold the charizard once held in her grasp. She looked up again at the evee once more.  
  
"Why."  
  
"Because losing a fight does not mean the end of your life."  
  
Starfire looked away, not being able to withstand the sight of the new champion's presence.   
  
"I have won so many fights...I have not lost a match in years. I have forgotten what is that drove me to earn the title in the first place."  
  
Mirage felt uneasy hearing this, yet she did not said anything to it.  
  
"Don't let that happen to you, friend."  
  
Mirage blinked. Did she just call her a friend?  
  
"What will you do next, then? Will you follow the path of the fighter, or will just brandish your new title as champion of this region, defending it against any that wishes to wear your gold?"  
  
Mirage looked down.  
  
"I believe...that is, my grandmother told me...fighting is more than just earning a title. There is much to go for."  
  
"Do you believed those words while you fight me then?" Starfire said, still her face not facing Mirage's.  
  
"I..." Mirage's voice trailed off. The first thoughts that came into her mind when she moved to the finals were those of winning the championship, no matter what the cost, but after seeing what happened to Starfire, these thoughts turned into a whole different point of view. Yet, she could not get herself to reply to the charizard out loud.  
  
"You are not yet ready, you better go and prepare yourself."  
  
Mirage closed her eyes and nodded slowly. She turned and walked away towards the exit. She was near the door when Starfire called her.  
  
"Mirage. Thank you." Starfire said, turning her head at last with a faint smile on her reptilian muzzle." The evee looked back with a smile of her own, being glad that her opponent was to live after this ordeal.  
  
"We will meet again, young one." The charizard said.  
  
"I am counting on being so." The evee asserted.  
  
Mirage took the next ship out of the Legionary Islands, and continued her voyage on better herself as a fighter, and living her new life as a champion of the Legionary Tournament. She felt that she still had much to learn in her life.   
  
The hunger for victory increased, and she would not have it any other way.  
  
THE END...for now.  
  
Pokemon, Copyright: Nintnedo. Starfie, Mirage, fan-made characters owned by Kanmeros/Manuel 2003. Fan-Fiction written by Kanmeros.  
  
  



End file.
